保險因果關係中競合原因之判定

Determination of Concurrent Causes in Insurance Causation

解釋保險契約，因果關係理論扮演著非常重要之角色。如有超過一個以上原因造成一個損失，判定該等原因是否滿足因果關係要求，可能係評估承保範圍最具挑戰性項目之一。傳統上有兩種主要方法可用來評估超過一個以上原因造成一個損失之因果關係：第一種方法係有效主力近因原因原則；第二種方法係獨立競合原因原則，有稱之為競合原因原則者。根據前述兩種主要方法，如何判定保險人應否負保險責任，其係寫作本文之目的所在。冀望文中所提出之觀點，有助於解決當前競合原因爭執，並減少保險理賠糾紛之發生。

The theory of causation play a very important role in the construction of insurance contracts. Where a loss has more than one cause, determining whether the causation requirement is satisfied can be one of the most challenging aspects of evaluating coverage. Traditionally, there are two main approaches to evaluate causation in a loss with more than one cause: (1) the efficient proximate cause rule, and (2) the independent concurrent cause rule, also called the concurrent cause rule. Based on two main approaches, how to decide whether the insurer shall be responsible the loss is the purpose of this article. It is my hope that the views presented in this article are helpful in resolving the current issues of concurrent causes and minimizing the occurrence of insurance claim disputes.